Kuluta. Dobi Nulla. 1931

Nicholas Roerich made Kuluta. Dobi Nulla with paint, but I don't know exactly when. There's something so immediate about the way Roerich's put it all down; like he's right there, wrestling with the mountains. You can almost feel the texture of the paint. It's not just about what he's painting, but how he's doing it. See how he uses those blues and greens to build up the forms? It's like he's carving out the mountains with color. And that little patch of gold down there—it's like a hidden treasure, a tiny burst of warmth against all that cool blue. It gives the whole thing a kind of off-kilter balance. Reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley, actually, with that same sense of ruggedness and honesty. But Roerich is his own thing. It's like he's inviting you to climb those mountains with him, to get lost in the beauty and the mystery of it all.